The lotus makes a beautiful symbol for the core of goodness in every human being. Though we are born of human clay, it remind us, each of us has the latent capacity to reach and grow toward heaven until we shine with the reflected glory of our Maker.

A mask can hide a face completely. But the very nature of a mask is that it can be removed. This is the promise and the purpose of all spiritual discipline – to take off the mask that hides our real face.

What matters is not that we may have made mistakes in the pursuit of physical satisfaction; what is important is to learn from these mistakes as quickly as we can that wealth, possession, power, and pleasure have never brought lasting satisfaction to any human being. Our needs go too deep to be satisfied by anything that comes and goes. Nothing but spiritual fulfillment can fill the void in our hearts.Eknath Easwaran